Ark Valley News - From the desk of the superintendent

From the desk of the superintendent
By Cory Gibson
Last Updated: October 01, 2015

Did I hear correctly about a bond project?

Student and staff safety is our number one priority. Following the 2008 bond issue, storm safe spaces were added Abilene and West Elementary schools. The new high school structure includes a storm safe shelter. That leaves three of our schools without dedicated storm safe spaces, which has been discussed as a concern since I became superintendent in 2012.

There are other safety enhancements throughout the district that have been recommended by security experts, however, are financially outside of reach.

In 2013-14, the district hired a company to help establish a 25-year facility plan. This process reviewed the safety, infrastructure and space needs of our district over the course of the next 25 years. The plan can be found on our website (www.usd262.net) under "District" >"About Our District" > "Facility Plan" tabs.

Beyond the safety of schools, the consultant also identified needs for additional space for elementary students. If enrollment continues to grow at its current rate of around 2 to 3 percent a year, we will soon be out of classroom space at our elementary buildings. We've added nearly 250 students in the years I've served as superintendent. It is important that we are prepared for additional growth that could be at or above the 2 to 3 percent rate.

Although our school are well maintained, four out of the six buildings are nearing 50 to 65 years of age, and as you can imagine, the plumbing and electrical infrastructures are antiquated and inefficient. In some cases the repair parts are no longer available for these systems, and will require extensive work to replace.

So what's next? Currently, the district is asking an architect to review our facilities and identify areas that may need to be addressed. The firm will provide opportunities to community members to "be a part of the conversation" and help decide if a bond issue is needed and if so, which items to address.

We encourage our community members to keep in tune as we move forward, and be a part of the conversation.

Cory Gibson is superintendent of the Valley Center public school district. Reach him at 755-7000 or cory.gibson@usd262.net.